I have a disability (RA) and have never attempted to get a handicap space as I feel that most days I don't need it as badly as someone else. (I also doubt that at this point any of my doctors would sign on to it although eight months ago they all would have)Sj

This was just discussed over on the UC board too.26 Year old married female law student (last year!!). Diagnosed w/ CD 4 years ago, IBS for over 10 years before that, which was probably the CD. I am sort of lactose intollerant too but can handle anything cultured and do well w/ lactose pills and lactaid. For crohns I am currently on Pentasa 4 pills/4x day and hysociamine prn. I also have bad acid reflux and have been on PPI's since age 13. I have been through prilosec, prevacid, and nexium. Currently I am on Protonix in the morning and Zantac at night. I also take a birth control pill to allow some fun in my life.

It drives me nuts when people think that having IBD is not a disablity (in severe cases). Granted I have other issues, but it still crohns has definately not help the situation.

Actually legally IBD can be a handicap if the disease is severe enough. For example, quick severe blood loss (due to the frieablity(sp) of the guts=you jiggle it (from walking) for too long or intensely and your are going to bleed badly enough that you have pass out rather quickly from it and end up waking up in the er), arthritis (so bad that it changes and compromises your bone structure), and osteoporosis (fractures). All of which can put you in a wheelchair. Granted this is does not happen in every case of IBD, but it can. Granted except for the bleeding these are extra intestinal manifestations, so are not the pooping part of this disease.

Plus, we need to take into account that not everyone has the resources or the means to have someone else do their grocery shopping for them. Meals on wheels does not deliver everywhere, especially in rural areas.We need to take some life situations into account here.

I have to admit there have been times that I have gotten funny looks when using the handicap parking stall. One incident that sticks out in my mind was after my sixth ortho knee reconstuction I usually try to hide my injuries/braces because I do not want to appear venerable (what woman does?), so I think the fake impression of being healthy while using my handicap pass is worth the condemning looks I get. I had just gotten out of using the wheel chair a couple weeks before (my GI did not want me to start walking too much because of the delicacy of my guts, but the ortho people said it would be good for my knee). This woman comes up to me and starts screaming at me because I used a handicap stall. So after being verbal abused for a bit (as a former LEO nothing new), I leaned down and show her that I have a hip to ankle brace on (love those tear away basketball pants) and pull up the back of my shirt to show her the back work I have had done. She can see all the scars on my stomach as well. A buddy of mine in the mean time has shown up and proceeds to chew her out (because I did not have the energy to do it), but stops when he sees I am starting to throwing up, and it is bloody (this happens because of the open sores in my throat, what a lovely crohn's gift <sarcasm>) and tries to get me inside. I did not even make it to the doors, before I passed out from hemorraging from both my mouth and my rear to the point it was like a faucet (always wear black pants). So for me IBD was much more dangerous then my ortho injuries, they were just the ones who could shut her up. Unfortunately this is not the only incidence I have had of people harassing me, because of my handicap parking pass. My scars shut them up pretty quickly, but in actuality it is the IBD that had me in the most danger (uncontrolled flare).

I think that doctors do not hand these out without prejudice. Granted, there will always be people who abuse them, but alot can be hidden.Forum Co-moderator - Crohn's Disease

We will find a way, or make one.-Hannibal (crossing the Alps in the 15th Century on war elephants)

Make sure your suffering has meaning...-?All suggestions/options/opinions are caveated with please consult with your local health care provider...

I typically don't need the closer parking but sometimes I do. I would think a Dr would help you if you felt you needed it.

my last job the company did not have enough parking. We had to sometimes park a couple buildings away. it was far and I live near Chicago, IL and it was bitterly cold sometimes. It sometimes took me a long time to walk cause my joints just hurt so badly. I have been flaring so I was hurting real bad. I almost got a handicap parking sign then so i could take one of those spaces right in front of the building. instead I got to work early to get a close space. (must have been my stupid pride) in hind sight I should have asked for the handicap sign.... I was in real pain and it was hard to walk that far over ice and snow in the cold. I could have gotten hurt easily. especially if I needed to use the restroom!

No one has the right to yell at someone else just because they cannot see the handicap. You cannot see heart desiese and these people also need to not walk more than necessary. You cannot see diabeties and what it will do to the feet, these people also do not need to walk more than necessary. Not all handicaps are external.

I had a temporary parking pass for my job because of CD induced arthritis. When I had a visit with my GP I mentioned it and he ran down a list of what I needed and one of the things he volunteered was an application for a handicap parking pass. There are days when I don't need it, there are days when I need it a lot. There are days when it is my husband who needs it, but I refuse to let anyone tell me I cannot park there, it is not their business to police me, that would be the job of the police and only if I have a fake pass.

As far as handicap bathroom stalls - Please. These people get on their high and mighty horses and they have not right. Their day will come and the rolls will be reversed.

Sorry to hear it was such an ordeal for you, no one should have to go through what we deal with daily. Good luck and hope you find some releif soon.

Handicap bathroom stalls???? I thought that was for access . . . and not exclusively for the handicapped. Are non-handicapped people NOT supposed to use those stalls??? I feel really, really dumb.

Navvy . . . you post had me so angry! I'm sorry you have all those battle scars and braces and all . . . but BOY was I glad you were able to put her in her place. SO sorry it ended so dramatically . . . sounds like a scene out of a movie.

Blessings!

In His Grip

AlwaysRosie "We can't control the waves, but we can learn how to surf!!"

My wife has one for severe RA. We've used it a couple of times for my Crohn's, both for those "gotta go NOW" emergencies, and for the awful aches and pains. Most of the time I don't need it though. My wife doesn't so much anymore, but occasionally. Like the others said, sometimes they are really nice to have.

I've never asked for one myself, although I did just fracture my hip, and if my wife didn't already have it I'd be asking for one.Matthew McKenna,

Oh, and don't let anyone else tell you what a disability is or isn't! As for handicapped stalls, I don't feel bad about using them at all. When you absolutely have to go because of the disease, you have just as much a need as any handicapped person.Matthew McKenna,

Michigan has both temporary and permanent (10 year) Handicap permits. I now have a permanent one tho I didn't ask for it.

Every year for a long time now I have gone down to the Rolex three day horse events in Lexington, KY. KY Horse Park is huge and there's a LOT of walking that can NOT be avoided, including up some decent size hills. We used to stay in the horse park camp grounds which involved a long walk. For years I did it, including walking the cross country course 4 times during one visit. Eventually, the ole lungs got to the point that I just was NOT able to do even the least amount of walking necessary to get from the campgrounds to a decent vantage point to watch the dressage, cross country and stadium jumping much less the trade fair and the Hall of Champions so I asked my family doctor for a temporary permit which he gave me and I got my temporary permit from the state. I was then able to flag down a handicap shuttle at the Rolex to get me to the more difficult to access places. After 4 years of getting a temporary permit every April my doctor change it to a permanent permit. I didn't even notice until the Secretary of State's office handed me the permanent permit!

Exercise is an important part of pulmonary rehabilitation. BUT there are limits. I use that permit now on occasion when I need to. But for the most part I do NOT use it for parking as I need the exercise. Still, there have been times, like at the county fair or at the Rolex when the walk from parking to the barns or exhibits, etc. is what seems like forever away, I do whip it out and hang it on my mirror! And am ever so grateful for it!

Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

I don't have one but I can tell you there were times when I wish I did. For those emergency moments definetly, but more so for those days when my joints hurt so bad.

I had knee surgery about 3 mos ago and I came back to work after 4 weeks. I probably should have gotten a temporary at least, but I was the stubborn one. I think the way my joints are acting lately that the day is not so far off.Been living with Crohn's Disease for 32 years. Currently on Asacol, Prilosec 60 mg, Estrace, Prinivil, Diltiazem, Percoset prn for pain and Calcium. Resections in 2002 and 2005. Recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and doing tests to see if I have Inflammatory Arthritis or AS.

The only time I could have used it was when I came out the hospital, and was severly anemic. So anemic that walking from one room to another would make me need to sit down and catch my breath. Sure wish they would have given me one back then. Instead I had people drop me off at the front of the store, and then come pick me up. Most days I feel okay to manage parking in the regular spots though. If I feel that bad from D and pain, I won't be leaving the house anyway!

But I can totally see why people with Crohn's could use having one.~Jennifer

As a person slows down it can be harder to make those quick trips to the bathroom .Times now it's a lot slower just getting out of the car .I thought of one that's for sure and certainly will try for one when I need it .lol gail

I have a handicap parking pass (which I lovingly refer to as my ‘tard card, because levity is my thing) I first got it when I began attending UC Davis, which has a gimongous campus where sometimes I was forced to walk long distances from my car to the class and there were no bathrooms in between. Since then, however, I find I really benefit from not having to walk too far as I’ve slowly been feeling worse and worse over the last few years. I ALWAYS get dirty looks when I get out and don’t “look” disabled. Sometimes, it’s not so bad because I hobble out of the car and due to joint pain or some other random didn’t-even-know-that-part-was-there-let-alone-it’s-painful pain I limp a lot. I have had some nosey douche feel the need to point out where I was parked (as if I hadn’t noticed) and tell me I didn’t look like I had a problem that warranted that parking space as I was simultaneously finding out that my car was going to cost $500 to fix. That was awesome. I told him I had a placard up and the rest was none of his business. People are ******s; just you cannot see a problem doesn’t mean it isn’t there!! People need to get a clue- my life isn’t your business.Laurenne, 23 Student @ University of California, Davis.Dx'd w/ IBS and CD in 2002On Humira, Strattera, Zoloft, (Multivitamin, Flax Oil, and Omega complex when I remember.)

I look at it this way, they may just be commenting to discourage those who are not handicapped or don't have a handicap sticker from parking in a handicap spot.

I've seen it more than once, someone in a hurry, only needs one or two items, can't find a close by parking space and wheel in to a handicap reserved space.

Talk to some of the shopping mall security officers, they can tell you some REAL STORIES about people's excuses for parking in handicap spaces who aren't handicapped at all and have no proof of disability w/them.

Kind of like the woman whose excuse for driving 80 in a 55 mph zone was because she had a bladder infection. My girlfriend tried that one once. Amazing how she managed to "hold it" for the 25 minutes it took the officer to write her a ticket. The officer congratulated her on her "restraint" and "control" as he handed her the ticket w/a pleasant smile.

Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

I have arthritis with my Crohn's and my rheumy filled out the paperwork so I could get a handicapped parking pass, but I'm not on any kind of disability. I just had to walk kind of far from the parking lot to my building at work, so she filled out the paperwork so I could park closer.

I have never parked in a handicap spot. Maybe that is why now when I have joint problems I never asked for one (not even when I had to walk in the cold a few blocks) I guess I just had that old mindset that it was wrong to park there.

I even refused to use the handicap parking when driving my Mom's car (she has a handicap plate)

Someday I am going to have to get over it when my joints are too painful to walk far.

It is true you can't tell if someone is disabled by looking at them at all.

it never ceases to amaze me how people can overcome so much in the face of so much adversity. Thanks for your sad story about the woman in the parking lot, although it must have been a tough day for sure, it is inspiring to know that others have to grin and bear it and fight thru life sometimes against amazing odds. What's even cooler is your desire to help others amongst all the trials you face yourself.

I myself have had a security guard ask me for my handicap ID once when I was in Junior college. I guess he didn't believe that I was should have the handicap placard since you couldn't see anything wrong with me. The funny thing is, he asked me for the document proofing the window placard was mine, before I had even gotten out of my car.

I had to chalk it up to his own frustration with others who do abuse the spaces, but it was offensive nonetheless. Mainly because, when I explained my problem, he looked at me like, "yeah right you punk kid"

I didn't have my paperwork from the the Department of Motor Vehicles that day, and he gave me the ticket! i did found it later and mailed it in to protest the ticket and won the appeal! every time I saw that guard after that, I tried not to scowl.....oh well, resentment never gets you anywhere right?

On a slightly different topic, I had been pulled over a few weeks ago, after taking off my seatbelt to adjust my ostomy....i explained why I had to take off the belt to the officer, and to my delight, he let me go, after telling me next time, I should pull over when I have to "adjust" my pouch.

The funny thing was, I asked, him, officer, you see, I have this ostomy, want to see?"

he shook his head so quickly, "no, no, that's okay...."

i guess I have lived with this long enough i figure i needed a break and went for it.

not to mention, I don't agree with seat belt or helmet laws, but that's a different story.

Talk to you all soon - Nat"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together!" - The Beatles

Just tonight I went into a handicap stall that said, reserved for disabled people, so not use if other stalls are available. Well, I'll tell you, go on prednisone, gain 70 lbs and you won't be able to fit in those tiny stalls. I would say that I was too big to wipe you know where because of the pred weight gain and that was 30 lbs ago. I am also currently filing under ADA because my boss doesn't think I am disabled, so I have to prove it. I invited her into the restroom with me, but she declined. She also was prompt in telling me that she had her cancer (chemo) treatments during summer break. I told her that I didn't have that option and that I was receiving treatment every six weeks due to my chronic illness. I am so tired of having to prove to crazies that I am sick. I guess gaining 70 lbs in 4 months didn't prove a thing. AAAAHHHHHH

Kgirlie - PS I will continue to use any stall I want, single, disabled, or family so HAHA and if I get questioned I will be happy to show off a hemmoroid (sp wrong) or two

Just tonight I went into a handicap stall that said, reserved for disabled people, so not use if other stalls are available. Well, I'll tell you, go on prednisone, gain 70 lbs and you won't be able to fit in those tiny stalls. I would say that I was too big to wipe you know where because of the pred weight gain and that was 30 lbs ago. I am also currently filing under ADA because my boss doesn't think I am disabled, so I have to prove it. I invited her into the restroom with me, but she declined. She also was prompt in telling me that she had her cancer (chemo) treatments during summer break. I told her that I didn't have that option and that I was receiving treatment every six weeks due to my chronic illness. I am so tired of having to prove to crazies that I am sick. I guess gaining 70 lbs in 4 months didn't prove a thing. AAAAHHHHHH

Kgirlie - PS I will continue to use any stall I want, single, disabled, or family so HAHA and if I get questioned I will be happy to show off a hemmoroid (sp wrong)

I totally know what you are going through with those tiny stalls! I gained weight due to a bipolar med I was on and I know exactly what you mean. First of all you get in the stall and you're right in front of the toliet. You turn around to close the door and you're barely able to get it closed because it has to swing past you. Then if you are able to get it closed and use the restroom you have to somehow manage to wipe. It's ridiculous. I try to always use the handicap stall because of this. Obviously I'd feel bad if I was in there and someone in a wheelchair came in, but what am I supposed to do? My boyfriend's parents have 2 bathrooms...one upstairs and one downstairs. When we visit sometimes I can't make it upstairs to go to the bathroom and their downstairs bathroom is just as tiny as a public restroom stall. It's embarrassing to say I can't fit in there...I mean I fit I just can't wipe. Obviously I do my best, but I try to make it upstairs as much as possible. While I feel bad you and I'm sure others have to go through that too it makes me feel a little better to know I'm not alone.27 female

Bipolar, panic disorder, PTSD, PCOS, hashimoto's disease/hypothyroidism, and in the process of being diagnosed with crohns. Too many meds to list!

A somewhat funny thing happened to me in a restroom stall. Your story reminded me. I had made a mad dash to get to one and it was very dirty. With no time to clean it up, I grabbed one of those little paper seat covers from the wall and got it down just in time to get seated. It was a very warm day and it was warm in the restroom. When I was done, I found that the paper seat cover had become wet from sweat and had stuck to my behind. I had to peal it of and it was like wet toilet paper that fell to pieces . I was very PO ed at the mess I was dealing with and thinking myself alone, I said out loud,,, "this $#!+ is all over me!!!!" Thats when a voice from the next stall asked me if I needed some toilet paper. I dont talk to myself out loud in the restroom any more...

If we would read the secret history of our enemies,we would find in each mans life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.